Railway-rail fastener



(No Model.)

W. GODARD & W. FIDDLER.

RAILWAY RAIL FASTENER.

No. 443,594. Patented Dec. 30, 1890.

- Wuam4,-M. Witnesses 0 7&0 [a Inventorg 4 BJ QWAM Attorney.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM GODARD AND WILLIAM FIDDLER, OF TONAIVAXDA, NEW YORK.

RAILWAY-RAIL. FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,594, dated December30, 1890.

Application filed October 15, 1890. Serial No. 368,198. (No model.)

'1'0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM GODARD and WILLIAM FIDDLER, citizens of theUnited States, residing in Tonawanda, in the county of Erie and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRailway-Rail Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention consists in certain improvements in railroad-railfastening or holding devices to be used instead of the well-knownspikes, all of which will be fully and clearly hereinafter described andclaimed, reference being had to theaecompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation showing a portion of a rail as held inplace to the sleeper. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

The object of our invention is to provide an efticient means for holdingthe rails of a railroad-track so as to effectually prevent them fromspreading or turning over, and also to permit the rails to be easily andquickly removed or rigidly secured in place, so that a durable and solidrailway can be built and the rails rigidly secured in place in less timethan it could be done by the use of the ordinary spikes.

In said drawings, 1 represents a portion of an ordinary T-rail.

2 is the sleeper, upon which the bottom plate 3 rests and is rigidlysecured by bolts l. (Shown by dotted lines.)

The bottom plate 3 is preferably made of iron, but may be made of caststeel or other suitable material.

On one side of the rail is a holding-piece 5, having a beveled end 6,adapted to clamp and hold one side of the rails. It is rigidly held inplace by the bolt and nut 7. The nut 7 is rigidly held in place by a keyor wedge 8, which is driven in through a hole in the bolt when the nutis screwed down tight. If desired, this portion 5 may be made in onepiece with the base-plate 3.

At the opposite side of the rail is another holding-piece 9, also havinga beveled holding or clamping end 6, adapted to fit and hold the rail.(Shown better in Fig. 1.) This holding-piece 9 is provided with anopening or slot 10, through which the bolt 11 passes, and is secured bythe nut 12, having also a wedge 8, passed through a hole in the boltafter the nut is screwed down in place.

On each side of the base 3 is an outwardlyprojecting ear 13, anddirectly above them on each side of the holding projection 9, rigidlysecured thereto or forming a port-ion of it, is a projecting car 13.Through both of the ears 1?) and 13 is a hole, in which is driven awedge or key 8. These wedges 8 are preferably made in the form shown inthe plan view of spring-steel bent together, so that when driven inplace the ends 8 will spring apart and hold them in place, so that theycannot accidentally come out unless driven out by hand.

"When puttinga rail in place, all that is required is to first loosenthe bolt 11, then move the holding-plate 9 back, (the slot 10 permittingthis movement) and turn it around into the position substantially asshown in Fig. 2 by the dotted lines 15. One edge of the rail is noweasily put under the portion 6 of the holding-plate 5, after which theholding-plate 9 is again turned into its proper position and pushedforward close to the rail. The nut 11 is then secured as hereinbeforementioned. The rail is easily removed in a similar manner. In this wayafter the road-bed is com- -pleted, the sleepers in position and thebaseplates 3 firmly secured in place a long line of railway can be in avery short time put permanently and securely in place, and a railway soput down is very strong and durable, the rails cannot spread, turn over,or get out of place, and when repairs become necessary it is veryquickly and easily done.

\Ve claim as our invention- A railroad-rail fastening consisting of abed-plate rigidly secured to the sleeper, and a holding-plate 5, rigidlysecured to or forming a part of the base-plate, havinga beveled end 6for holding one side of the rail,in combination with a slotted movableplate 9, secured 9 by a bolt to the base-plate, having a beveled holdingportion 6 for securing the opposite side of the rail, and ears 13 13 andkeys 8 for keeping the holding portion 9 in position when secured by thebolt 11, substantially as described.

\VILLIAM GODARD. \VILIIIAM FIDDLER.

Witnesses:

J. M. CALDWELL, Janus SANGSTER.

